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Nicholas Literski

Nicholas

Literski

Nicholas Literski

Adjunct Faculty

Department
Humanistic Psychology
Institution
Saybrook University
Email
Biography

Nicholas S. Literski, JD, PhD (They/Them) is an Assistant Professor of Depth Psychology and Creativity at Pacifica Graduate Institute, and a professional spiritual guide. Dr. Nick earned a JD from the Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1999, an MA in Spiritual Guidance from Sofia University in 2013, and a PhD in Depth Psychology with Emphasis in Jungian and Archetypal Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2022.   

Dr. Nick's research interests include depth psychology, spirituality, LGBTQ+ studies, and ritual magic. They have published in Psychological Perspectives: A Quarterly Journal of Jungian Thought; Immanence: The Journal of Applied Mythology, Legend, and Folklore; and Somatics Magazine-Journal of the Mind-Body Arts and Sciences. Their Jungian work on nonbinary identities was featured in Thomas Singer & Andrew Samuels' compilation, The Reality of Fragmentation and the Yearning for Healing: Jungian Perspectives on Democracy, Power, and Illusion in Contemporary Politics. Dr. Nick is a co-author of Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration, a groundbreaking study of esotericism in early American religion, and also the host of The Reflective Soul Podcast. They are currently writing a book on the intersection of ceremonial magic and the depth psychology of C. G. Jung.

Areas of Expertise
Area Expertise
Consciousness Studies / Altered States of Consciousness
Consciousness & Spirituality Studies Personal Mythology
Shamanism
Spirituality
Creativity Studies Creativity
Diversity Issues
Diversity Gender Issues
GLBT Identity Models
Dream Studies Dream Studies
Psychology Transpersonal Psychology
Ethnography
Research Design/Methodology Narrative Inquiry
Phenomenology
Qualitative Inquiry
Sexuality/Gender Issues Gender Identity
Gender Reassignment
LGBTQ
Education History
Degree Institution Year
PhD Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, CA 2022
MA Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, CA 2017
MA Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA 2015
JD Northern Illinois College of Law, Dekalb, IL 1999
BS Utah State University, Logan, UT 1993
Professional Memberships
Role Organization
Board Member Jungian Society for Scholarly Studies
Board Member John Whitmer Historical Society
Question and Answer
Describe your teaching philosophy or your approach to working with students.

“In an organic model of education, the purpose of teaching should be to give students the tools to recognize their own unique interest without feeling judged, and once they’ve recognized it, to prepare them to be excellent at it.”

Abhijit Naskar

“Teaching is a sacred art. This is why the noblest druid is not the one who conjures fires and smoke but the one who brings the news and passes on the histories. The teacher, the bard, the singer of tales is a freer of men's minds and bodies, especially when he roams without allegiance to one chieftain or another. But he is also a danger to the masters if he insists upon telling the truth. The truth will inevitably cause tremors in those who cling to power without honoring justice.” Kate Horsley I believe that continual learning is essential to a joyful life, and helping to guide others in that process is a sacred responsibility. My best educational experiences have always involved instructors and students who worked together in a reciprocal exchange, honoring one another and growing together as co-learners. In emulating these models, my heartfelt goal is for each of us to emerge from our work together personally transformed, having experienced psychology in a personal and academically rigorous way.

“Teaching is a sacred art. This is why the noblest druid is not the one who conjures fires and smoke but the one who brings the news and passes on the histories. The teacher, the bard, the singer of tales is a freer of men's minds and bodies, especially when he roams without allegiance to one chieftain or another. But he is also a danger to the masters if he insists upon telling the truth. The truth will inevitably cause tremors in those who cling to power without honoring justice.” Kate Horsley

I believe that continual learning is essential to a joyful life, and helping to guide others in that process is a sacred responsibility. My best educational experiences have always involved instructors and students who worked together in a reciprocal exchange, honoring one another and growing together as co-learners. In emulating these models, my heartfelt goal is for each of us to emerge from our work together personally transformed, having experienced psychology in a personal and academically rigorous way.

I believe that continual learning is essential to a joyful life, and helping to guide others in that process is a sacred responsibility. My best educational experiences have always involved instructors and students who worked together in a reciprocal exchange, honoring one another and growing together as co-learners. In emulating these models, my heartfelt goal is for each of us to emerge from our work together personally transformed, having experienced psychology in a personal and academically rigorous way.

Provide a statement or philosophy regarding your professional practice.

In my practice as a professional spiritual guide, I work to help individuals deepen their own connection to the numinous--that which seems bigger than us, more powerful than us, and beyond our understanding. I bring Jungian concepts and tools such as dreamwork, myth, active imagination, and creativity to aid clients in their own journey to create a personal spirituality that is sustaining and fulfilling for them.

Curriculum Vitae
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